$280 million allocated for hospitalization

Over 75 percent allocated to private hospitals

A Cabinet decree issued last week allocated around $280 million to cover hospitalization fees of patients to be treated at the expense of the Ministry of Public Health in 2014. Around $68 million will be allocated to 33 public hospitals and $212 million will be distributed to more than 121 private hospitals, as well as private long-stay medical elderly homes and specialized treatment centers.

The funds will be distributed according to contracts signed with the designated hospitals, upon a decision issued by the Ministry. The decree stipulated that the chosen hospitals have to be distributed fairly among the regions so that there are at least three in each caza, if available.

The number of public hospital beds is about 15 percent of the total. Sleimen Haroun, President of the Syndicate of Hospitals, said there are 9,000 beds in private hospitals, compared to 1,200 beds in public ones. “Most public hospitals are not equipped to admit sophisticated medical cases, except for the Rafic Hariri Hospital,” said Haroun.

The largest budget allocation for a public hospital, worth $17.3 million, went to the Rafic Hariri Hospital. Among the designated private hospitals, the top ten benefiting from this deal are Ain Wzein Hospital (Chouf), which will receive around $5 million, Al Rassoul Al Aaazam Hospital, in the southern suburb ($4.3 million), the North Medical Center, Zghorta ($4 million), Hôpital de Bienfaisance Islamique, Tripoli ($4 million), Hôpital Notre Dame des Secours, Byblos ($4 million), the Dar Al Amal University Hospital, Baalbeck ($3.6 million), the Zahra Hospital, Southern suburb ($3.6 million), the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) to receive $3.3 million, the Makassed General Hospital, Beirut ($3.1 million), and the El Youssef Medical Center, Akkar ($3 million).